Story Time
by Tfortempestuous
Summary: Let's take a look at what the G-5, Smoker, Tashigi, and the Punk Hazard children are up to these days.
1. Smoker's ship

**Happy Tashigi's Birthday!**

I know, I'm late, but I remembered, okay.

Enjoy the short.

I do not own any of Oda's character. :(

* * *

It was a nice day out on the seas, no weird occurances for about three hours, and Tashigi was getting suspicious. Maybe it was just paranoia, or she was just so used to weird that normal seemed strange. After Punk Hazard, anything was just about darned possible in her book.

The ship that was brought to the G-5 was equipped with special chambers so they were able to house all of the children, small or tall, rescued from Punk Hazard, in a single ship. That said, the children later had to be seperated due to a breakout of a stomach bug (virus), and so Tashigi had spent the past two hours convincing the kids in the infirmary to take some medications following lunch and eventually singing them a lullaby for a nap after.

Which is why Tashigi had to get back to the healthy children she had left under the care of Vice Admiral Smoker and a few G-5 soldiers. These children had been quiet for far too long, something was definitely going on that had them so attentive.

The Marine Captain heard a few giggles as she entered the hallway, so she perked her ears for anything within earshot.

"So what did they do?" asked the voice of a girl.

"Yes, Smo-yan tell us! We really want to know!"

'Those last few were certainly some of the G-5. But what was that? Was Smoker-san telling a story?!' Tashigi crept close to the room, but stayed out of sight. She had never heard Smoker tell a made up story before.

"Well, in the end the two lovers were thick skulled and told everyone who had a problem to eat shi- I mean, mind their own business. They couldn't be together though. You see they weren't exactly in the same boat."

"Oh, so is this like Romeo and Juliet, then?" asked Mocha voice this time, it seemed.

Smoker replied with a matter of fact tone of voice. "Not exactly, these two are fighters, so they wouldn't let each other die."

"Wow, you have such good imagination Smo-yan!"

"I didn't know you could be as romantic as you are tough?" The G-5 soldiers complimented their Vice Admiral with such conviction. Tashigi giggled quietly as she continued listening in.

"Romantic?! I was telling an action adventure story! You kids started asking about the characters' love life."

"Well then what about the kiss you said, after that one big fight the couple had?" It was a boy this time, looking to catch the man off guard, to whom he replied.

"That... Spur of the moment, I think."

The room was silent for a few seconds then another girl whispered.

"Have you ever fallen in love?"

Smoker grunted then answered the girl a bit irritated.

"It's like a cage, and you can't cage smoke, that's not for me."

'Cage? Smoker-san compares love to a cage? When I think cage, I think ..Hina-san? No, don't overthink things Tashigi, Hina and Smoker, a couple, nah? Dang...I ship it.'

Brushing her shipping aside, Tashigi cleared her throat as she walked in the door.

"Ehem, what's not for you Smoker-san?"

The G-5 sprang up faster than the children. " Love! Captain-chan! It's love!" They had hearts in their eyes and they did a little dance they learned from Black Leg Sanji.

'Thanks a lot.' Thought Tashigi with the most dead pan voice she had in her mind. She'll kick that particular Strawhat, for that, next time they meet.

"Sit down! I was speaking to Vice Admiral Smoker! How were the children while I was gone, by the way?"

"They were fine; you were only gone for about three hours. They wanted to hear a story so I told them one. You might like it, little lady."

"Really? Wait, I told you, don't call me that. What was it about?"

"Lov-" Tashigi punched the G-5 soldier before he repeated his little number. Realizing the children were there, she quickly added, "I'm sorry, but please don't do that again."

"It started out as an action adventure story, but these little runts turned the tide and somehow we ended with starcrossed lovers or some bull sh- stuff like that."

"Smo-yan has some imagination, huh?" Everyone turned from the soldier to Smoker with expectation.

"No. Based on what some Marines told me once and what these kids made me say. Anyway, Tashigi did you get the reports to my office?"

"Yes."

"Well then, I'm off. You can take it from here."

"Yes, sir. G-5, you can head out as well, I've got the children covered."

"But.."

"No but's! Get back to work!"

Once Tashigi swept the lifeless lumps of the sad G-5 out the doors, she closed it behind her and addressed the children. They were eager to tell her Smoker's (and partly their) story.

"Okay children, would you mind recapping the story for me?"

"Yes! Can we make paper dolls for the ending we just made up?"

"Sure. You two go work on those while the others start the story."

Tashigi took a seat on the floor and invited the childen to do the same.

"Okay, start from the beginning."

"I'll do that part." said the large blonde boy. "Once there was a brave man, who fought to protect the villagers of small towns even if nobody really liked him."

'This has definitely got to be about Smoker-san.' thought Tashigi.

"He traveled the seas and fought different bad guys as he went, getting stronger and stronger. One day, he arrived at a town where he thought he could help. A girl was in trouble. But it turned out the girl was strong herself."

'Oh, come on, that is so Hina-san.'

"She defeated the bad guys so fast, the man was shocked."

'Okay, so this has to be about the time Hina and Smoker met. So, she impressed him first? Wow, who knew?'

"But the girl got confused and attacked the guy because she thought he was with the bad guys."

'That is such a Hina thing to do, attack first, ask questions later.'

"They were so mad at each other during the fight that they didn't even notice a crowd of Marines were watching."

"The Marine soldiers were confused, were they enemies or were they boyfriend and girlfriend? They looked at each other and no one knew what was going on."

"Yeah, they were so confused. Haha, I'll finish the story." Said a cute girl in a ponytail.

"The guy knocked the girls weapon out of her hands and pinned her to the wall. But he didn't hurt her. The Marines saw that he leaned in and whispered something to her. They thought they saw him kiss her."

'Okay, that is a little too intense to be telling the children. I think I need to have a word with Smoker-san. Ugh, but it'll be awkward now, knowing how he and Hina met and all.'

"The guy put his sword back in his uuhh.."

"Wait, did you say sword?" Smoker doesn't, or ever has used a sword, thought Tashigi.

"Yes, he put his sword in the thingy swordsmen use to hold swords in."

"The sheath?"

"Oh yeah! That. The girl yelled at him again, then they seperated and they didn't see each other for a while, maybe just a glimpse one time, but then years later they met again."

'Okay so maybe it wasn't about Hina and Smoker.'

"Oh? ...And what did they do then?" 'Where did Smoker-san say he got this story?'

"Smokey says that the first thing they did was yell at each other. Then the girl was distracted so a monster hurt her. The guy carried her to safety, but before leaving, he gave her a kiss."

The tall blonde boy got up in protest.

"That's not true. Smokey didn't say that, Mocha did."

"What?! Well, yeah I did, but because it looked like he would kiss her after carrying her."

'The kids are getting a little too carried away with this story, I need to calm them down.'

"Okay, keep your cool. I-it's just a made up story, there's no need to get mad. You can make up your own endings if you don't like this one." offered Tashigi with a choppy smile and a shrug.

"We're done with the dolls!" yelled the two children with the paper dolls.

The children and Tashigi turned to see them smiling as they brought their creations over.

"And they lived happily ever after."The children brought the dolls into view and then together for a kiss.

"Ahh." Tashigi half yelled, but was too lost for words. The girl doll wore a pink coat, she had red glasses and blue black hair. The boy doll...was very green.

*Smoker chuckled as he heard Tashigi coming down the hall to his office.


	2. Painting Day Part 1

Hello readers! Thank you for the reviews, I didn't actually expect it to be cute, XD, but hey cute is good. So thank you everyone.

I won't update often, but I can guarantee that I won't abandon this or any story. I'm too loyal to my babies. (The stories, the stories are my, ah, never, nevermind.) The characters are all Oda's.

Enjoy!

It was breakfast time and Tashigi was glancing over the heads of the children, locating him, she huffed at Smoker. She would not let him forget she was mad at him.

 _How dare he make fun of me like **that**?_ Tashigi knew that Smoker was just being Smoker. He has always taunted and teased her, but this, this was beyond all that Tashigi could bare.

 _I'm so mad, I'll kick you when I get a chance, just wait Smoker-san. Just you..._

"Oi. Why are you staring at the cook like that?"

"Wha..Ahhhhh!! Smoker-san! I said, you said...you..Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Dumba...as a Marine you should be prepared for an ambush at any moment. Use your Haki, doofus."

Ah, yes, Smoker being Smoker."Hmph! We are fine. And you are so rude."

"Oh. Are you still mad about.."

"What do you think." Tashigi gave him a death glare that could have made any man's spine go limp, but this is Smoker we're talking about.

"I think I want some coffee."

"Eh, coffee? Do you want a cinnamon muffin with that or the.. wait no, I'm still mad at you." Shaking an accusatory finger at her Vice Admiral. The children giggled, because they had grown accustomed to the bickering and they also knew how much Tashigi enjoyed coffee and muffins in the morning. Smoker also knew this fact.

"Which muffin would go best with this coffee?" he lifted up his steaming cup of black coffee as he questioned Tashigi. His demeanor was that of an innocent man, which he was not.

Her eyes narrowed and the tension in the room would have risen if the kids weren't there. _I will get you for that stunt in the morning, jerk_.

"Any muffin will do fine with black coffee, sir."

Tempering herself Tashigi returned her focus to the children, they had just about finished their breakfast muffins and chocolate milk.

"Let's leave Vice Admiral Smoker to his breakfast, children, I have something special for you all today."

Tashigi spotted a tick mark reaction from Smoker. _Yes, 1 point for me, but I'll get you good, later. Then we'll see who'll have the upper hand._

The children became exited, jumping up and down, smiling and clapping their hands, naturally they began asking questions.

"What is it?"

"A fun surprise."

"Cool, are you showing us how to fire the canons?!"

"Nope not happening."

"Will you show us how to climb the mast?"

"No. We've been over this Timmy."

"I know, we're playing a game!"

"Maybe later."

"Can we choose what we want to do later if we don't want to play a game?"

"Yes, of course."

"Can we be telling stories again?"

"Um..."

"We can finish the story from this last time, the one Smokey, err, Smoke man was helping us with."

"No!" _Flippin Smoker._ Tashigi had not remembered that the children were part of the incident. In her hastey reply she spooked the kids, leaving them wide eyed and nervous. "Oh sorry, I didn't mean to yell, you can tell the stories, but no more pink and green okay? They have to be about...someone..else." That's when it struck her, the answer, how to get back at Smoker, it was clear. The children, they were the key.

"Haha hahaha hahahahaha."

 _Smoker-san won't know what hit him._

"Why are you laughing Miss Tash?"

Tashigi snapped out of her moment of mania, blushing like a contour make up tutorial. _How embarrassing._

"Anyway, we are going to be painting today! Doesn't that sound fun?"

"Yeaahhh!!"

Smoker watched Tashigi and the children make their way to one of the larger rooms on the ship.

It was difficult to keep them all together due to the range in sizes, so the Marines tried to keep all the essentials in the cargo hold.

 _Painting today, huh? Not as interesting as ceramics, but Tashigi'll make up for it._

Chuckling at his own schemes Smoker faded into smoke and then disappeared.

Tashigi felt a chill in the air, then shrugging it off, she set up the painting area, which comprised of a large tarp laid flat on the ground, some paint buckets and brushes, clean water buckets and large crates to use as tables for snack time.

"Okay children, each one of you will get a paint brush, **after** I've finished giving you instructions, Timmy we've been over this, and then you will pick a spot in the tarp to paint. Simple plan, isn't it? But, you will have to work with the three primary colors, and the black and white I have here. If you want more colors, mix these together. Example: Red and blue will make purple, white and red make pink, got it?"

"Or how blue and yellow make green?"

A boy with a toothy smile chimed in.

Tashigi flinched. "Uh, yes, you are so smart, help the other children if they have any questions okay?"

"Yes ma'am."

After passing out all the brushes and arranging the children around the tarp Tashigi called a subordinate to stand guard while she grabbed some snacks.

 _Children, they have it so easy. Not a worry in the world. Well, for the most part. They do miss their families, their homes. I'll let them keep teasing me about the incident only because they need the distraction. But Smoker-san, he will not escape my wrath._

 _Flashback_

The day after discussing with Vice Admiral Smoker about the story he had told the children, Tashigi awoke in need of alone time. She picked up Shigure and went to the training area. She really needed to cut something, but with the children around, it was hard for her to find time to spend with her precious sword.

She arranged a schedule with the G-5 to alternate the care of the children. Of course, she selected only the best candidates for this job. Still, she had the majority of hours with the children.

Time to herself was rare these past few weeks. Tashigi reached the training area after making a quit trip back to her own room for the cleaning and polishing equipment she had forgotten. She sat on a mat and began working on her blade, she relaxed and smiled to herself.

 _She's deep in thought already? She didn't even hear me call her name. Well, there is only one thing to do._

"Fight me, Marine girl!"

Smoker stepped in front of Tashigi ready for a sparing match. Tashigi quickly left her equipment on the ground beside her and gripped Shigure. She stood up and froze in mid swing.

It was a usual thing they did, spontaneous sparing matches, but he caught her off guard this morning.

"Wha...?"

"I said fight me, Marine girly."

He was standing there in a fight stance, with one cigar in his mouth and one in each hand, he then winked his left eye.

"I...said don't call me that. Erghh!"

Tashigi stormed out of the training room.

 _End of flashback_


End file.
